Fear and Loathing by Hilary Norman

Author:Hilary Norman
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781780105574
Publisher: Severn House Publishers
Published: 2014-05-15T16:00:00+00:00

They were home and sleeping when they came.

Out of the dark.

Rubber soles almost silent on the hardwood floor.

Moonlight coming through the open windows, tree branches rustling in the breeze.

The couple cuddled up. Cute-looking.

Leon spoke first. Line from Kill Bill, as he recalled, and he’d have preferred to be more original, but using Tarantino just felt so right.

He bent over the guy. ‘Wakey wakey, eggs and bakey,’ he called.

Jay groaned softly and opened his eyes.

‘Lights,’ Jerry said.

Jay blinked in the glare of four flashlights, put a hand up to shield his eyes.

Saw the guns before he took in the men.

Four of them.

‘Jesus,’ he said.

He felt Lorna stirring beside him, pulled her closer.

‘What’s—?’ She saw them, opened her mouth to scream, no sound emerging.

‘Hi, guys,’ Leon said. ‘Real sorry to disturb you.’

‘Where’s your safe?’ Andy asked.

‘I hit the panic button,’ Jay said, his mind fumbling.

‘You don’t have one,’ Leon said.

‘Where’s your safe?’ Andy said again.

‘We don’t have one of those either,’ Jay said.

‘But we’ll give you what we have.’ Lorna’s voice was thready, stunned. ‘Just please don’t hurt us.’

‘Right you are,’ said Leon. ‘Let’s move this thing along.’

Jerry edged away, gun still raised, moved over to the windows and closed them, pulled down the blinds, then hit the light switch.

Jay and Lorna stared at the gunmen. All weirdly golden-haired and blue-eyed, all black-gloved, their weapons fat, solid, hideously real.

‘Let me show you where we keep our money,’ Jay said.

‘Not necessary,’ Leon said.

‘What does that mean?’ Lorna asked.

‘It means we can help ourselves,’ Jerry said.

‘Sure you can,’ Jay said. ‘Just—’

‘Shut up,’ Andy said.

‘Let’s do it,’ Leon said.

One of the men reached into a duffel bag, pulled out cut lengths of cord, handed them to the others.

‘Oh, dear God,’ Lorna said.

‘Please,’ Jay said. ‘Don’t hurt my wife. She’s pregnant.’

‘Get up,’ Leon told him.

‘Oh, sweet Jesus,’ Lorna said.

‘Get the fuck up.’ Jerry bent over, grabbed Jay’s left arm and yanked him out from under the covers. ‘Come on, man,’ he said to CB. ‘Give me a hand.’

Andy moved around to Lorna’s side and, as she cried out, he took a roll of tape from a pocket, ripped off a length and silenced her.

‘Bastard,’ Jay spat.

CB, his own jaw aching, did the same for him.

‘Arms,’ Leon ordered.

Jay saw the dark muzzle of the gun pointed against Lorna’s temple and knew that any attempt at a struggle was pointless.

They looked at each other while their wrists were tied behind their backs.

All they could do now, as they were dragged out of the bedroom. And it was only when they saw where they were being taken that they both realized who these men were. They’d seen the black-and-white shots of the four men sought in connection with the murder of those poor people just a few miles from here; and then, a week ago, there’d been the dentist and his family on Emerson Avenue – just around the corner …

Their eyes filled, weeping for their unborn child.

‘Wait,’ one of the men said suddenly.

The one who’d been silent until now, the one who’d taped Jay’s mouth.

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